Jesus' Victory: The Cross or the Ressurection?
Men [and] brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. (Acts 2:29-32)
Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? (Luke 24:25, 26)
No one can over-estimate the importance of the truth of Christ's resurrection. If this be overthrown, Christianity is a farce, Christ is a liar, the apostles were deluded, the martyrs were deceived, the believer is in the darkness of despair, God is unknown, and our loved ones are for ever lost.[1] -F. E. Marsh
Some months ago an article by Pentecostal Pastor and Evangelist Jimmy Swaggert was brought to my attention. The article was concerning Swaggert's disagreement with the Word-Faith Movement, particularly in the area of the "Jesus Died Spiritually" (otherwise known as JDS) teaching. I personally have no problems with Swaggert and others having a disagreement with Word-Faith teachings. The church will have its doctrinal disagreemnts. However, Swaggert takes his disagreement too far when he makes this statement:
It is my personal belief that the Word of Faith doctrine is Satan's masterstroke. It is propagated by those who claim to be Spirit-filled and, thereby, Spirit-led. They claim that their doctrine is based squarely on the Bible; however, as I trust I have amply proven, their doctrine is definitely not based on the Word of God, but rather on a twisted perversion of the Word.[2]
Swaggert, who is a Pentecostal, seems to be repeating history. At the beginning of the Pentecostal Movement a prominent minister named G. Campbell Morgan made a statement similar to Swaggert's. Morgan called the Pentecostal movement, "the last vomit of Satan."[3] Another well known Holiness minister and scholar of that time accused the Pentecostals of being "Satan's preachers, jugglers, necromancers, enchanters, magicians, and all sorts or mendicants."[4] It seems to me that the persecuted are now becoming the persecutors. Swaggert is doing the same thing that was previously done to his movement. The most ironic thing is that the Pentecostal movement had it's roots in the Holiness denominations in which Godbey was a part of. The Faith Movement has it's roots in classical Pentecostalism.
Swaggert has accused genuine brothers and sisters, fellow Pentecostals of being motivated by the enemy himself. These things could be easily dismissed if it were not for the fact that Swaggert is still a well known and prominent personality in Christendom and that his magazine is widely distributed throughout the world. Furthermore Swaggert is a Pentecostal who is criticizing others who are somewhat Pentecostal in foundation and origin. Finally, I would have expected Swaggert of all people to be a little more sympathetic and charitable in his disagreement with the Faith Movement considering how his harsh criticism of other brethren in the past has costed him dearly. I suppose it is difficult for people to truly learn from their mistakes.
Nevertheless, since Swaggert has taken it upon himself to criticize the Word-Faith Movement, I feel that a response is necessary. I will attempt to be as charitable as possible in my response to this man of God.
Is JDS The Foundation of Word-Faith Teaching?
Swaggert seems to imply that his blatant misrepresentation of Word-Faith doctrine is the foundation of this movement. This is an unfortunate (as well as inaccurate) conclusion that Swaggert has arrived at. Think about it for a momenet. If JDS were the foundation of the Word-Faith movement then would we where such labels as "Word-Faith," "Word of Faith," "Name it and Claim it people," "Faith Movement," "Health and Wealth Gospel," "Prosperity Gospel," or even "The Positive Confession Movement." One person has even labeled us "Faith Formula."
I suppose that the so called foundational teaching of this movement is dependent upon what critic of this movement one is listening to and what particular doctrinal ax this individual has to grind. Nonetheless, if Swaggert's assessment was true then would we not be better labeled the "JDS Movement" if this were the foundation of all Word-Faith doctrine?
Furthermore, one can go to the catalogues of many major Word-Faith Teachers and find very little material on the subject of JDS in comparison to the abundance of material on faith, prayer, prosperity, divine healing, love, the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, spiritual warfare, the gifts of the Spirit, and a variety of other subjects that have nothing at all to do with JDS. If JDS were truly the foundation of Word-Faith doctrine, wouldn't we see that the number of teachings on this issue would outnumber that of other subjects?
This beginning paragraph of Swaggert's proves to me that he is not looking for something that he can use to pronounce a harsh judgement upon a whole movement. If he can establish that JDS is a) a false teaching and b) it is the foundation of all Word-Faith doctrine then he can c) he can feel justified in passing judgment upon this movement, condemn it and all of its adherents. Personally, I believe that the division that continues to rise between the Word-Faith and its critics is Satan's masterstroke. As Satan can move us to accuse one another of being his agents he is certainly causing a house to divide against itself, knowing that it will not stand. Satan's masterstroke is discord and disunity.
Hagin's Theology of the Cross
Swaggert quotes Hagin from one of his books in which Hagin states that the cross is a place of defeat. These were probably a poor choice of words for Hagin to use and I can understand why this might upset someone who is only looking on the surface of what Hagin was attempting to teach. Yet, is Hagin entirely wrong in this choice of words? We are told in Heb. 12:2, "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame ..." There was actually shame at the cross that Jesus despised. Would Swaggert like to dispute the writer of Hebrews for his choice of words concerning the cross?
Furthermore, further research into "Haginology" will prove that this man does in fact have a deep respect and reverence for the work Christ did at the cross. In his book, The Triumphant Church, Hagin makes this statement:
What is the wisdom of God that those who are spiritually mature in the Word will see and understand? It is knowledge of the inheritance that God has already prepared for them in Christ; it is the wisdom of knowing who they are in Christ. The wisdom of God is that believers only need to stand against demons in the finished work of the cross - in the victory that Jesus already won for them.[5]
Hagin's reverence for the cross and the blood of Jesus is not limited to this one statement.[6] Perhaps we can accuse Hagin of contradicting himself in his different works. Perhaps we can say that he changed his views concerning the cross over the years but neglected to edit this new view in his previous books. Or perhaps when he stated earlier that the cross was a place of defeat, he meant something entirely different than what his critics have misunderstood him to mean.
Actually, Swaggert already provides us with the answer to this on the second page of the article. Hagin was simply emphasizing the place that the resurrection had in comparison to the cross. Hagin saw that there really would be no victory if Christ had stayed on the cross and/or in the grave and for His body to rot and decay in either place. If there was no resurrection, we would have no hope of victory (see 1 Cor. 15:17-22 and 15:54-57).
However, Swaggert does not see it that way and thus his vehement dispute with Hagin. Swaggert then gathers together several "prooftexts" in which he attempts to take Hagin to task on this issue. For example, Swaggert asks, "If the Resurrection was the place of victory, then why did he say, "the preaching of the Cross . . . is the Power of God"? Swaggert seems to believe that this passage makes the case against Hagin's "resurrection victory" teaching. I assure you that he is far from doing so.
Swaggert has first misrepresented Hagin by taking one statement out of one book and made this to sound as if Hagin had no reverence for the work that Christ did on the cross. Then Swaggert presents his own interpretation of the place that the cross and the resurrection has in Christ's victory. While he falsely accuses Hagin of belittling the work of the cross, I believe that a thorough reading of his article proves that it is Swaggert who is belitling an aspect of Christ's redemptive work, which is the RESSURECTION and ASCENSION. Though Swaggert claims that he does not demean the resurrection, one should notice his avoidance of those Scripture passages that might directly refute his case against Hagin's understanding of the part that the cross and the resurrection played in the redemptive work of Christ.
Is the cross Preaching Death or Life?
Swaggert goes on to report Hagin's statement in the form of a question: "When you preach the cross you are preaching death?" He further states, "I don't mean to be unkind, but the above statement, which I have quoted verbatim, even as given by Brother Hagin, comes perilously close to blasphemy." It would not bother me that Swaggert would disagree with Hagin's statement but then he goes further to misrepresent Hagin when he says, "Our Brother is saying that if you preach the Cross, and people believe what you preach, it will lead to their spiritual declension, possibly even the loss of their souls."
This is NOT what Hagin is saying at all. Hagin is simply expressing the fact that Jesus died on the cross which naturally represents DEATH. Phil. 2:8 tells us, "And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." The cross is where Jesus was made a curse (Gal. 3:13) and where He became sin and bore our sins (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24).
The Scriptures teach us that Christ REMAINED in this death until He was raised, "Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it." (Acts 2:24) As far as I can tell, there is not ONE Scripture that teaches us that the cross represents LIFE. The Scriptures represents the cross as death in a positive way. When Christ died, we died with Him. When we are crucified with Christ then we live because the RISEN Christ lives in us (Gal. 2:20). Nonetheless, even as a practical symbol for the Christian life, the cross represents the need for the Christian to put to DEATH the deeds of the flesh.
I am sure that Brother Hagin is reacting to the extreme of so many ministers who continually emphasize the cross and neglect the resurection. These preachers keep people at the cross and never take them past this. Albert B. Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance denomination wrote, "But there is something higher even than the Cross. It is THE RESURRECTION of our Lord."[7] One of the most successful evangelists of our time, the Reverend Billy Graham had this to say:
We think of the cross as being at the very center of Christianity, and it is. And yet apart from the RESURRECTION the cross stands for DEATH, not life. It is possible for us to stand on the wrong side of Easter and look at the cross all our lives and never be redeemed or saved.[8]
Rev. Graham is also reacting to the overemphasis placed on the cross and the neglect of Christ's resurrection. As we will see later in this essay, the Scriptures make it abundantly clear that without the resurrection there would be no hope for us. Graham makes it is abundantly clear that he believes that the resurrection itself is what brought the victory over death, sin, and Satan:
"But Christ is alive! And because he is alive, it makes all the difference. In his resurrection, evil has been defeated; love has conquered hate; death has lost its sting; Satan has been defeated; God has accepted the atoning work of his Son on the cross; and all of creation is bursting forth in a new song."[9]
I certainly hope that Swaggert would not be as quick as to condemn these great men of God as he has done with Hagin. Nevertheless, further reading in Swaggert's article shows us why he places more emphasis on the cross while less importance is given to the resurrection. Swaggert believes that the atonement (our redemption) was conpleted at the cross. Swaggert says,
"So if one sin had been left unatoned, Jesus would have remained dead! There would have been no Resurrection! But due to the fact that Jesus atoned for all sin, and that He did so through His Death, and His Death Alone, there was no way that Satan could hold Him in death, nor any of the Old Testament Saints, for that matter. As stated, Satan was defeated at the Cross, which means that His defeat did not await the Resurrection (Col. 2:14-15)."[10]
Part of the problem with Swaggert's statement is that it presents something that no Word-Faith advocate would deny. Every Word-Faith teacher affirms that Christ took all of our sin upon Him (2 Cor. 5:21). Yet, one could read Swaggert's statement and believe that if there had been no resurrection, the cross was still sufficient to bring about redemption.
Nevertheless, the Bible tells a different story. We see in Hebrews that it was not until Christ's ascension that our eternal redemption was purchased:
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood he went into the Holy of Holies once for all and secured our eternal redemption. (Heb. 9:12; International Standard Version)
Many commentators believe that this presentation of blood into the Holy Place (or as the KJV says, Holy of Holies) was done AFTER Christ's resurrection and upon His ascension.[11] Jesus was fulfilling the type of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood (Lev. 8:2; 9:15; 16:5-10). However, the best commentary is the Scriptures themselves which tell us:
For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, [which are] the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: (Heb. 9:24)
Those who limit Christ's work to the cross only while neglecting the place that the resurrection and ascension had in obtaining our eternal redemption are limiting the work of Christ to the outer court of the Old Testament Levitical types. Faith teachers such as Hagin (and Kenyon and many others even before him. See below) teach the outer as well as inner court typological representation of Christ's sacrifice. While Swaggert right acknowledges the important place of the cross in man's redemption, he neglects or places as secondary the resurrection of Christ (in spite of his attempts to make us believe otherwise).
Besides the Scriptures we have presented so far dispute Swaggert's claims, many classic writers would take issue with Swaggert on this (see quotes below). For example, F. E. Marsh, who was an associate of A. B. Simpson, the founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church, takes a different outlook on this than Swaggert:
The risen Christ is the fulfilment of His own word as to the necessity of His resurrection to complete His atoning work. After Peter's confession of faith as to the Person of Christ, at Caesarea Philippi, we read that Christ began "to shew unto His disciples He must go unto Jerusalem," &c. (Matt.xvi.21; Acts xiii.18).[12]
You will find as you read the writings of many classic writers, Bible teachers, and commentators that Marsh was not alone in teaching this. Therefore it is not a new teaching in the church and it is based on their understanding of the Scriptures. It's possible that Swaggert may be correct and others are wrong, but I doubt if this is the case. If the "atonement" was finished at the cross, the disciples were unaware of it.
How Did The Disciples View The Death of Our Lord?
The disciples certainly did not see their Master's death as a victory. They felt that they had lost and they showed this in their attitude and their unbelief. When Jesus did arise from the dead, they did not consider that this was the thing that happened. Rather, they thought that the Lord's enemies had taken his body from the tomb and laid it somwhere else (John 20:2). The Scriptures commentary on this is, "For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead." (John 20:9)
Why did they not know the Scripture when Jesus had taught them on several occasions that He would die and be raised again (as will be demonstrated later in this article)? The reason obviously is UNBELIEF. Mark makes this clear in his gospel:
And they, when they had heard that he was alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. After that he appeared in another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. And they went and told [it] unto the residue: neither believed they them. Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen. (Mark 16:11-14)
Jesus' own disciples, His close companions while on earth refused to believe the reports of His rising. They had hardened their heart against it. What a group of defeated disciples. Luke gives even more insight into the disciples attitude concerning their Lord:
And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit. And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them. And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:36-47)
Even when Jesus appeared to them they were afraid and thought that He was just a ghost. Do you see the picture here. The risen Christ had to even take time to prove that He had actually risen. If He had stayed in the grave these disciples would not have believed in the work of the cross. They would have lost all hope.
So if Jesus had remained in the grave, would this had done anything for the disciples faith? Even if victory was complete on the cross, exactly what would this had done for a bunch of unbelieving disciples, the very ones that Jesus was expecting to spread the message of this victory? It took a resurrection to convince these people that Christ is indeed the redeemer. This was the faith builder and the victory bringer. These disciples would have been defeated by their unbelief had Christ never rose from the dead. Rev. Billy Graham further says:
"Then came Easter, and their midnight of despair was turned into a glorious morning. It was the resurrection of all their hopes. Calvary did not tell the whole story. He not only died for our sins, but also the apostle Paul say he was "raised again for our justifications" (Romans 4:25, KJV)[13]
Whether Swaggert wants to accept this or not, a victory on the cross would have meant absolutely NOTHING to these disciples had Jesus never rose from the dead. This victory on the cross would not have spread throughout the world. Even if it had, who would worship this dead Savior? Had Jesus stayed in the grave, His dying would have been in vain as far as the disciples were concerned. His death would have been a DEFEAT rather than a victory. Is Swaggert ready to call the disciples satanic because they thought that Jesus had been defeated at the cross?
Swaggert's Misrepresentation of the Importance of Christ's Resurrection Victory
Swaggert begins his case against "resurrection victory" by making this statement, "Listen again to Paul. He said: 'For the preaching of the Cross is to them who perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the Power of God' (I Cor. 1:18)." No doubt from Paul's statement that the preaching of the cross is necessary. We do not deny this. However, here is what Swaggert has missed. Several chapters later in the same letter Paul says, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins." (1 Cor. 15:17).
What Swaggert has either forgotten or intentionally neglected (I'd rather just believe that he forgot) is that Paul and the other apostles did indeed preach the resurrection of Christ. Paul felt so strongly concerning the preaching of Christ's ressurection that he said, "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (1 Cor. 15:14). Other passages of Scripture also bring this out:
[The Sadducees] Being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead. (Acts 4:2)
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)
... because he [Paul] preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection. (Acts 17:18)
Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed. Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? (1 Cor. 15:11, 12)
Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel: (2 Tim. 2:8)
Not only do we have the Scriptures that dispute Swaggert's claims but other respected men of God such as R. A. Torrey would take issue with Swaggert on limiting the preachinjg of our redemptive victory at the cross of Calvary:
Gospel preachers nowadays preach the gospel of the Crucifixion, the Apostles preached the gospel of the Resurrection as well. (2 Tim. 2:8 - Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my gospel.") The Crucifixion loses its meaning without the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection the death of Christ was only the heroic death of a noble martyr; with the Resurrection it is the atoning death the Son of God. It shows that death to be of sufficient value to cover our sins, for it was the sacrifice of the Son of God.[14]
Next, Swaggert mockingly asks, "If the Resurrection was the place of victory, then why did he say, 'the preaching of the Cross . . . is the Power of God'?" Again, Swaggert has been neglecting passages of Scripture that would challenge his belief. First, it is the "preaching of the cross" that is the power of God" and that is only to us who are already saved. The Bible no where teaches that the cross itself is the power of God. However, it does state that the RESURRECTION has power:
That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; (Phil. 3:10)
And declared [to be] the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Rom. 1:4)
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. (Acts 4:33)
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. (1 Cor. 6:14)
And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own right hand in the heavenly [places], (Eph. 1:19-20)
F. E. Marsh makes this comment concerning the power of Christ's resurrection based on Ephesians 1:19-20:
Who can dispute with death? Only One, and that One, our Lord Jesus Christ. In His uprising from among the dead we behold the display of the "exceeding greatness of God's power." Not merely His power "power," but the "greatness," yea, the "exceeding greatness of His power." Creation reveals God's power, but Christ's resurrection manifests the "exceeding greatness" of it.[15]
This is not to say that the cross has no power. I am simply showing you how one could play the same semantics game that Swaggert himself is playing by only referencing certain Scriptures to say, "See, I'm right" but somehow overlooking others that might possibly hurt his case.
Swaggert goes on to quote Galatians 6:14 which speaks of Paul's glorying/boasting in the cross of Christ. Swaggert then mockingly states that it didn't say, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. . . ." I am not sure why Swaggert would think that Galatians 6:14 would dispute someone placing their complete faith in Christ's resurrection for victory and salvation. Swaggert is actually misusing this passage to support an argument of his own that is not even alluded to within the context.
If one were to read verses 13 and 14, they will see exactly why Paul felt His need to boast in the cross of Christ:
For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
Paul was boasting in the cross of Christ in contrast to the works of the flesh promoted by the legalists of his day. The legalists wanted the Galatian converts circumcised so that they could brag about the work they did in the Galatians salvation. They had a need to boast in the flesh. He was not bragging on the cross as a way to dispute any victorious implications that are a part of Christ's resurrection. Paul knew that the ordinances that were against him were nailed to the cross and due to this, no man could judge him (Col. 2:13-16). Paul knew that those things the legalists relied on concerning salvation were only a shadow of that which was to come (v. 17). God is not concerned with outward circumcision but the circumcision of the heart (Rom. 2:25-29; 1 Cor. 7:19; Gal. 5:6).
I also find it ironic that if Paul was using Galatians 6:14 to make some point that the cross was more important than the resurrection that the apostle would begin his letter by referring directly to the resurrection, "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;)" (Gal. 1:1). I am afraid that the more we look at this, the deeper the hole we see that Swaggert has dug himself into.
Swaggert's Foundation Prooftext - His Interpretation Refuted
The foundation for Swaggert's attack against Hagin's "resurrection victory" message is based on Col 2:14-15 which says:
"Blotting out the handwriting of Ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to His Cross; And having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:14-15).
At first reading of this passage one might believe that perhaps Swaggert has made a good case against the Faith Movement. Perhaps everything was indeed accomplished at the cross and the resurrection is not as vitally important as we WoFers make it. I submit to you that Swaggert (and others) are not giving the full scope of the message being conveyed here when they only quote these two particular verses. Swaggert believes that the expression "in it" used in verse 15 without a doubt refers to the cross of Christ. Let us suppose that this is true. This still does not mean that the ultimate victory is not in the resurrection itself. The late Theodore H. Epp, The founder of the evangelical radio program Back to the Bible, explains how he understands this verse:
Christ triumphed over the principalities and powers by means of the cross. That is what is meant by "in it" (Col. 2:15). Christ's victorious entrance into glory after the resurrection indicates the extent of His triumph. As the Roman generals of the first century returned triumphantly from the battle and distributed gifts to the soldiers, so Christ entered heaven triumphantly and gave gifted men to the church. Ephesians 4:8 says, "Therefore it is said, When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive - He led a train of vanquished foes - and He bestowed gifts on men" (Amplified).[16]
Epps bases his complete understanding of Colossians 2:15 with his understanding of Ephesians 4:8. Eugene Peterson also understands Ephesians 4:8 in this way as his paraphrase says, "The text for this is, 'He climbed the high mountain, He captured the enemy and seized the booty, He handed it all out in gifts to the people.'" [17]
Epps believes that the phrase "in it" is not teaching that Christ's total victory over the devil is limited only to the cross. He believes that "in it" is teaching that it was by means of the cross the the victory was accomplished. The writer of Hebrews verifies this as he says, "And because the children are flesh and blood, he took a body himself and became like them; so that by his death he might put an end to him who had the power of death, that is to say, the Evil One." (Heb. 2:14; Bible in Basic English).
Though Epps correctly believes that the cross was vitally important, he felt that this was the "means" and not the "end." Epps felt that the "resurrection" was a major factor in bringing about the victory over the enemy. This is certainly one way to understand the phrase "in it" and it does not give it the limits that Swaggert and many heresy hunters choose to give.
However, there is also another way to understand the "in it" phrase in Colossians 2:15. If we read this in the context of Colossians 2:12 and 13 we can fully understand verse 15 as one of those "in Him" truths that we find throughout the Bible:
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses
Verses 12 and 13 places a great emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.[18] Colossians 2:15 should never be interpreted apart from these two verses. John Gill (1697-1771), the predecessor of Charles Spurgeon, who was also well versed in the original Greek language seems to agree with this understanding:
... triumphing over them in it; which some understand of the cross, as if where and by what he got the victory, there he triumphed; the cross, where his enemies thought to make a show of him, expose him to public scorn and contempt, and to triumph over him, was as it were the triumphant chariot, in which he triumphed over all the powers of hell, when he had conquered them by it: but the words may be rendered "in himself", as they are by the Vulgate Latin and Syriac versions; and the sense be, that as he by himself got the victory, his own arm brought salvation to him, so he alone shared the glory and honour of the triumph: or it may be rendered "in him", and the whole in this and the preceding verse be applied to God the Father, who, as in (Colossians 2:12,13) ; is said to raise Christ from the dead, to quicken sinners dead in sins, and to forgive all their trespasses; so he may be said to blot out the handwriting of ordinances, and to spoil principalities and powers, expose them to public view and shame, and triumph over them, "in him", in and by his Son Jesus Christ: the whole is an allusion to the victories, spoils, and triumphs, of the Roman emperors, who when they had obtained a victory, a triumph was decreed for them by the senate; in which the emperor was drawn in an open chariot, and the captives being stripped of their armour, and their hands tied behind them, were led before him and exposed to public view and disgrace; while he was shouted and huzzaed through the city of Rome, and had all the marks of honour and respect given him: now all that is said in the preceding verses show how complete the saints are in and by Christ; and stand in no need of the philosophy of the Gentiles, or the ceremonies of the Jews; nor have anything to fear from their enemies, sin, Satan, and the law, for sin is pardoned, the law is abolished, and Satan conquered.[19]
So according to Gill, the phrase "in it" could actually be interpreted as "in Him" or "in Himself." This leaves God as the subject of the verse and as the one who wrought victory rather than the cross itself. Marvin Vincent, another Greek scholar adopted this understanding:
"In it (en autw). The cross. Many expositors, however, render in Him, Christ. This I adopt as harmonizing with the emphatic references to Christ which occur in every verse from 5 to 14; Christ, four times; in Him, four; in whom, two; with Him, three. In it is necessary only if the subject of the sentence is Christ; but the very awkward change of subject from God (quickened us together, ver. 13) is quite unnecessary. God is the subject throughout."[20]
Unless one were to believe that Gill and Vincent are alone in their interpretation and understanding of Colossians 2:15. The Revised 1833 Webster's Bible translation seemed to have a change in it's original thought as it now reads, "And having disarmed principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. in it: or, in himself." There are several other versions of the Bible that see this verse as an "in Him" truth rather than an "in it" victory:
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; He triumphed over them by Him. (New Century Version)
And, by yielding up his body, he showed contempt for principalities and authorities; and put them to shame, openly, in his own person. (Murdock)
And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them through him. (Common New Testament)
And despoiling the principalities and powers, he hath exposed them confidently in open shew, triumphing over them in himself. (Duay-Rheims)
He disarmed the principalities and powers and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in him. (Revised Standard Version)
When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (New American Standard Bible)
He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.[2] (English Standard Version)
These verses show that Colossians 2:15 is one of those many "in Him" or "through Him" truths that we find throughout the New Testament. It is teaching us that we experience victory over the principalities and powers through Him. This should be seen in the same light as Romans 8:37 (and also 1 Cor. 15:57 and 2 Cor. 2:14). Colossians 2:15 is speaking of our identification with Christ and how we share in His victory. Verses 12 and 13 verify this as it speaks of our identification with Christ in His death burial and resurrection. The cross is indeed important. It represents DISCIPLINE, or the putting to death of of the deeds against us. The ordinances that are against us are put to death on the cross. It also represents the fact that we are dead to sin (read Romans 6-8).
The resurrection represents our overcoming death. The fullness of our redemption in Christ would NEVER be complete without Christ's resurrection. Some Bible versions do not even include the phrase "in it" or "in Himself" which means that some can most easily understand verse 15 in context of the resurrection rather than the cross. Rotherham's version says, "Spoiling the principalities and the authorities, he made of them an open example, celebrating a triumph over them thereby."
If one translates this in line with an understanding of Ephesians 4:8, we could just as easily interpret this verse as pertaining to the resurrection of Christ. Phillips translation, in context with verses 11 through 14 can be seen in this way:
In Christ, you were circumcised, not by any physical act, but by being set free from the sins of the flesh by virtue of Christ's circumcision. You, so to speak, shared in that, just as in baptism you shared in his death, and in him are sharing the miracle of rising again to new life - and all this because you have faith in the tremendous power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. You, who were spiritually dead because of your sins and your uncircumcision (i.e. the fact that you were outside the Law), God has now made to share in the very life of Christ! He has forgiven you all your sins: Christ has utterly wiped out the damning evidence of broken laws and commandments which always hung over our heads, and has completely annulled it by nailing it over his own head on the cross. And then having drawn the sting of all the powers ranged against us, he exposed them, shattered, empty and defeated, in his final glorious triumphant act!
The Phillips translation in context seems to allude to a resurrection victory. It does not minimize the cross but it certainly gives the resurrection its proper place in the victory, unlike the place that Swaggert gives it. Furthermore J. Dwight Pentecost, a professor of Bible exposition at Dallas Theological Seminary says this about Colossians 2:15:
The only way Jesus Christ could give us victory over Satan was to die for men and then be brought to life again. Satan can destroy life. He cannot create life. Satan could bring about physical death but Satan could not bring a man to resurrection. So the apostle who referred to the death of Christ in verse refers to the resurrection of Christ in Colossians 2:15 to show us that the resurrection of Christ is God's victory over the accuser.[21]
Swaggert may not agree with Pentecost but would he be as quick to label this respected Evangelical scholar as a heretic? Well, I would not put it past him to do so. However, Pentecost's position on this does have some Scriptural support: "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Rom. 8:34).
The Importance of FULL Identification with Christ
For Swaggert to teach Col. 2:15 (While excluding verses 12 and 13 of the same chapter) in his effort to make the Faith Teachers look heretical neglects the truth concerning our COMPLETE identification with Christ. In order to further his case he must continue to build straw men so that he can knock them down.
For example, Swaggert says in his article, "... trying to live for God outside of the victory of the Cross, and our Faith in that Finished Work leaves us without the help of the Holy Spirit." He also further states, "There is no victory outside of the Cross! There is no Spiritual Growth or Fruit of the Spirit, outside of the Cross." Certainly we cannot live victoriously outside of the cross. Yet, Hagin nor any other Faith teacher that I am aware of has never made any claim contrary to this. Here, Swaggert fails to understand the necessity of FULL identification with Christ in order to live victoriously.
Unlike Swaggert, the Faith Teachers (and many others) do not teach a victory limited to the cross. They teach a victory that is identified with Christ in every way. Identification with Christ is necessary and essential to victorious living in this life. The Bible makes it clear that we are identified with Christ in EVERY way. Not only in His death but also in His burial and resurrection:
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with [him] through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Col. 2:12)
As we explained earlier, the above passage should be interpreted in context with Col. 2:15, the Swaggert prooftext against resurrection-victory. Other Scriptures affirm this truth that Swaggert neglects in his article:
Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection: (Rom. 6:4-5)
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. (Rom. 6:9-12)
Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, [even] to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. (Rom. 7:4)
The like figure whereunto [even] baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (1 Pet. 3:21)
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: (Eph. 2:4-6)
In light of these passages of Scripture, I will have to agree with Hagin that if we limit our Lord's victory to the cross in our preaching and teaching, people will be preaching defeat and death. As F. W. Grant says, "Substitution ends with the cross, for our place in which He stood ends there; but representation does not end with the cross, but the place He takes in resurrection He brings us into."[22]
The victory that is in Christ goes beyond His death and moves forward to His resurrection and even past that to His ascension. We cannot expect people to live victorious by giving them only part of the truth.
The Importance That Jesus Himself Placed On His Resurrection
Jesus placed a great emphasis on His resurrection as the victory that He would obtain over His enemies and for the victory He would obtain for us. For example, Jesus makes this bold declaration as recorded by the Apostle John:
Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. (John 2:19)
Had the temple (His body) been destroyed without Jesus raising it up again, then we could most certainly count this as a DEFEAT rather than a victory. You see, the devil is the one who comes to "destroy" (John 10:10). Had Jesus not been raised from the dead, this means Satan would have destroyed Jesus rather than the other way around (Heb. 2:14; 1 John 3:8).
If He had not risen from the dead then the bold declaration that He made here would be a lie. He and His followers would have been laughed to scorn, His message would have not been received and He would have been no better than all of the great prophets and philosophers that had come before Him.
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. (John 10:17, 18)
If all that was necessary for victory was Jesus death then the statement that He made above is meaningless. He not only had to lay down His life but it was necessary for Him to take it again. Jesus did not limit His authority to dying but He was also given authority to take back His life. For this type of teaching Jesus was accused of having a devil, "And many of them said, He hath a devil, and is mad; why hear ye him?" (John 10:20) Doesn't this sound quite familiar to Swaggert when he says, "It is my personal belief that the Word of Faith doctrine is Satan's masterstroke."? Sounds like Swaggert would have found a comfortable place with those who persecuted the Lord.
The importance that Jesus places on His resurrection is seen in one of the titles that He has given Himself. He does not call Himself "The crucified and the dead" but rather "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." (John 11:25). This my friends is where the victory is at. Though His death was absolutely important and necessary, it is our faith in His being our Resurrection that guarantees us that we will be raised again (see 1 Cor. 15).
Jesus' resurrection resounds with a a victorious cry. The Apostle John shows us through His vision that it was because Jesus is now alive that He is given authority over hell and death:
I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. (Rev. 1:18)
Here is a question that Swaggert and others who share his views must ask themselves: Even if Christ possibly attained the authority over hell and death while on the cross, exactly what good would this authority have been had He not risen from the dead? Jesus declares that because He was (past tense) dead, and now that He is (present tense) alive forevermore that the keys that He possesses has some meaning to us. It seems to me that Jesus saw His resurrection as a vitally important aspect of our victory and redemption.
The Resurrection is Essential to our Redemption
Swaggert says in his article, "The Believer must understand that every single thing that comes to him from God comes exclusively through what Jesus did for us at the Cross." I would suppose that the "everything" that Swaggert is referring to includes victory and salvation.
Quite often we are told to look to the cross as the symbol of our salvation. This is indeed true because on the cross Jesus became sin for us so that we might have His righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Yet, the Bible certainly does not limit the work of redemption to the cross and I am amazed at how many preachers in our day seem to overlook this fact. I believe that many of them do it intentionally so that they can have a reason to attack those in the Faith Movement. Yet, the Bible shows us that Jesus not only died for our sins but He was raised so that we can be justified:
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification. (Rom. 4:24, 25)
In contrast, if Jesus had not been raised then we could not be justified. Swaggert and others may not be able to receive this but this is what the BIBLE says and not what Kenneth Hagin said. In another letter, the Apostle Paul confirms this contrast when He says, "And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." (1 Cor. 15:17) Paul said said if Christ had not risen, we would still be in sin - we would not be justified. Because Christ has been raised from the dead, we can with confidence exhort sinners to turn away from their sins:
Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:26)
How in the world could Swaggert and other critics overlook these verses? How could He belittle the important place that the resurrection has in our victory and redemption (though unknowingly and unintentionally in spite of the fact that he says that he does not)? How could he criticize Hagin and others so harshly concerning their view of this and then call their teaching, "the master stroke of Satan?"
The Bible also tells us the importance that the resurrection has concerning our salvation. In the epistle to the Romans we find a very familiar Scripture. This Scripture is so familiar that it truly amazes me that Swaggert has overlooked this one as well:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Rom. 10:9-10)
W. Graham Scroggie put it this way, "Faith in a dead man can save no one; only the living Christ can do that."[23] It seems that Scroggie is correct if we are to believe the Biblical record. Had Christ not been raised from the dead, He would have had about as much power to save as Buddha, Mohammed, and founders of major worldwide religions. Yet, the truth is that this resurrection saves and brings about the new birth:
"By His boundless mercy we have been born again to an ever-living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead." (1 Pet. 1:3; Amplified Bible)
Jesus told Nicodemus that he had to experience a new birth in order to see the kingdom (see John 3:3-16). It seems that according to the Scriptures, this new birth would have been impossible without the resurrection. Without this new birth then there is no victory (1 John 5:4, 18).
The Resurrection is Important to our Faith and Assurance:
Swaggert, disputing Hagin's resurrection-victory belief says, "The object of our Faith must ever be the Cross of Christ. If we place it in something else, we are, in effect, committing spiritual adultery." First of all, our faith is NEVER to be placed in the "cross" of Christ as our object. Our faith is to be placed in Christ Himself. Of course we believe in the work that Christ has done on the cross, but this work is NOT the object of our faith.
Furthermore, if the cross is the only important essential to faith in Christ, then please grab a pair of scissors and be prepare to dissect the following passages from your Bible:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Rom. 10:9)
Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. (1 Pet. 1:21)
And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain ... And if Christ be not raised, your faith [is] vain; ye are yet in your sins. (1 Cor. 15:14, 17)
Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by [that] man whom he hath ordained; [whereof] he hath given assurance unto all [men], in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31)
I am somewhat bemused by Swaggert's language and his lack of knowledge in this area. Swaggert is either ignorant of what the Scriptures teach or he has simply chosen to ignore them. Both are inexcusable for a minister who has spent as many years as he has in preaching the Bible. This man has even written sokme commentaries on the Bible, yet one must question if he really put some serious study in on this subject before presenting himself as an authority and others as being propagators of "Satan's master stroke."
Christ's Resurrection is Essential to Our Own Resurrection
Finally, the resurrection of Christ is essential to our own resurrection. Paul told the Romans that the same power that brought Christ back to life is the same power that assures us that our bodies will be raise in the last days:
But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)
In 1 Cor. 15, Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, teaches us we are identified with Christ in that because He was raised from the dead, we have the assurance that we too will experience a resurrection of our bodies.
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (1 Cor. 15:20-23)
Praise the Lord that we are not only raised with Christ and identified with Him from the spiritual aspect, but we are also going experience the same supernatural raising from the dead that Christ experienced. If it were not for Christ's resurrection, we would have no hope of this happening for us (1 Cor. 15:19). As a matter of fact, the resurrection of Christ is so important to our being resurrected, that if it NEVER happens for us, then Paul says that Christ Himself was never raised (1 Cor. 15:14).
I'll never understand why Swaggert and others place so much emphasis on the cross while making the resurrection a side issue. They may believe that the resurrection is important but they do not believe that it is as important as the cross. Based on their understanding and reverence of the cross over any other thing that the Scriptures teach were necessary for redemption, they have relegated others to heretics and satanic preachers.
Great Men of God Who Taught Resurrection Victory
Thankfully, not all men think as Swaggert and as many heresy hunters today. One might believe that the position held by the Faith Teachers is unique but they are wrog. There are many other men who saw the importance of the resurrection in our redemption and victory over the devil. Below are some quotes
The prophecies of His physical resurrection were fulfilled on the third day. He left the grave victorious over death, so that His people can shout with Him "0, death, where is thy sting? 0 grave where is thy victory?" Satan, the serpent, would have rejoiced if that grave had been sealed forever. He tried to keep Him there, that is the reason his seed, the enemies of Christ, requested the Roman seal and the guard. Satan is far ahead of the intelligence of the modernistic scholars. He believes in prophecy; they do not. He knew that if Christ remained in that grave, He would be a defeated Christ and God would have failed. But in due time the victorious Christ ascended up on high and is now seated as the Head over all things at the right hand of God. (Arno C. Gaebelin, italics are mine)[24]
In the resurrection of Jesus Christ is the heart of the Christian faith. Christianity is a belief, is a series of truths and doctrines and principles that rise and fall on the resurrection of Christ. When Jesus rose from the dead, He proved Himself to be exactly who He claimed to be. When He rose from the dead by the power of the Father, He was affirmed to have accomplished what He came to accomplish. And in 2 Corinthians 4:14 it says that as God raised up Jesus from the dead, so also shall He raise us up. Ours is a belief in resurrection life and that is built on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because He lives, we shall live also. (John MacArthur)[25]
But there is something higher even than the Cross. It is THE RESURRECTION of our Lord. There the Gospel of Healing finds the fountain of the deepest life. The death of Christ destroys the root of sickness: sin. But it is the life of Jesus which supplies the source of health and life for our redeemed bodies. The body of Christ is the living fountain of all our vital strength. He who came forth from Joseph's tomb, with the new physical life of the resurrection, is the Head of His people for life and immortality.
Not for Himself alone did He receive the power of an endless life, but as our life. He gave Him to be Head over all things for His Church, which is His body. We are members of His body, His flesh, and His bones. The healing which Christ gives us is nothing less than His own new physical life infused into our body from His own very heart, and bringing us into fellowship with His own inmost being.. That Risen and Ascended One is the fountain and measure of our strength and life. We eat His flesh and drink His blood, and He dwelleth in us, and we in Him. As He lived in the Father, so he that eateth Him shall live by Him. This is the great, the vital, the most precious principle of physical healing in the name of Jesus. It is the very life of Jesus manifested in our mortal flesh. (A. B. Simpson)[26]
By His vicarious death and victorious resurrection, Christ once and for all answered every charge or accusation that Satan could bring against the child of God. (J. Oswald Sanders)[27]
That empty tomb means Diablos vanquished and Christ victorious. It means that in the next chapter of human history God's kingdom will come and that his will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. (J. Sidlow Baxter)[28]
Of our blessings, Christ's resurrection is the foundation. Resurrection,which each seed sown in the earth and rising up in new life, and which each waking spring teaches, is the very essence of the gospel of God. Our dull hearts too often travel no further than the benefits of Christ's death; we reach the cross and there sit down. Sometimes the sluggish spirit, having found forgiveness by the blood of Jesus, returns to earthly things, resting in forgiveness, not rising above the circumstances around us in the vigor of resurrection-life. The believer is, indeed, a forgiven man, but he is also delivered from the power of Satan, and the world, and death, and himself, in the resurrection of Christ. The blood of the sacrifice has cleansed away his guilt, but he is not only cleansed, he is risen with Christ. He lives already in the life of the eternal spring. (H. Forbes Witherby, italics are mine)[29]
"He is Risen." Yes, blessed be God. Risen as Conqueror, Victor, Lord. Gone up on high as Representative, Firstfruits, and Princely Leader of His own, to prepare a place worthy of them, and presently to come again and receive them to Himself, to share the glory He has already entered upon. It is the fact that " He is risen," and that they too " have been raised together with Christ " (Col. iii. I), that gives them interest in " things that are above, where Christ is seated on the right hand of God."So they set their affection on things above,where all their interests really are, and not on things " on the earth," in which Christ no longer is, and from which they expect very soon to go, to be " glorified with Him " (Rom. viii. 17) in that heavenly sphere.[30] (John E. Ritchie)
How terrible was the disappointment which the death of Jesus brought to all who had believed in Him! It seemed, indeed, as if the powers of darkness had conquered and had established their kingdom forever.
But, behold! Jesus is risen from the dead! An apparent victory proved to be the terrible downfall of the prince of darkness. By bringing about the death of "the Lord of life" Satan permitted Him who alone was able to break open the gates of death to enter his kingdom. "Through death He has destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." In that holy moment when our Lord shed His blood in death and it seemed as if Satan was victorious, the adversary was robbed of the authority he had hitherto possessed. (Andrew Murray)[31]
These two, God's Man, and the pretender-prince, had a combat: the most terrific combat ever waged or witnessed. From the cruel, malicious cradle attack until Calvary's morning and two days longer it ran. Through those thirty-three years it continued with a terrificness and intensity unknown before or since. The master-prince of subtlety and force did his best and his worst, through those Nazareth years, then into the wilderness, -- and Gethsemane -- and Calvary. And that day at three o'clock and for a bit longer the evil one thought he had won. And there was great glee up in the headquarters of the prince of this world. They thought the victory was theirs when God's Man lay in the grave under the bars of death, within the immediate control of the lord of death. But the third morning rose and the bars of death were snapped like cotton thread. Jesus rose a Victor. For it was not possible that such as He could be held by death's lord. And then Satan knew that he was defeated. Jesus, God's Man, the King's rightful prince, had gotten the victory. (S. D. Gordon)[32]
In a chapter titled, "Resurrection the Sign of Complete Atonement" F. W. Grant laments that people had gotten away from the importance of the resurrection in his day:
FOR the great mass of Christians, the resurrection of Christ has dropped out of the place in reference to atonement which it finds in Scripture. The resurrection side of the gospel has dropped out. Yet God has been graciously reviving the truth of it in many hearts.[33] (p. 196)
In a chapter titled "Perfect Victory", G. Campbell Morgan teaches that it was the ressurection that brought about the victory:
In that great expression of triumph which Peter quoted, there is evident the twofold nature of the perfect Man, and in both realms there is the cry of victory. His soul cannot be left in Hades. The body cannot see corruption. Here then is the third fact of the victory. The penalty of death, in its first and deep meaning, was due to sin. He took sin, and because there was no place for death in His life, by dying He exhausted the penalty due to some one else. Thus in the moral realm His death has created a new value, a value that He does not require for Himself, but that He holds for others. Here then is evident the reason of Peter's confident affirmation. "It was impossible that He should be holden of it." "It" was the issue of Sin. "He" is Victor over sin as to the possibility of origination, as a suggestion coming from without, as a terrible fact for which He has made Himself responsible. Having thus gained a victory over every conceivable form of sin, covering the whole territory of its domain, death cannot hold Him.[34]
The resurrection therefore is the unanswerable argument for the accomplishment by Jesus Christ, of God's purpose of destroying the works of the devil. There are infinite possibilities of application. Let it only be said that it is from the empty grave that the true song of hope has sounded. Every worker with God is conscious of the presence of evil in the world. Let that consciousness always be held in connection with the glorious fact that over all, Christ is absolute Master. The Church is not fighting a conflict the issue of which is uncertain. The victory has been won, and therefore it must be won.[35]
Conclusion
Though I have written this lengthy rebuttal against Swaggert's argument, I want to state for the record that I do respect him as a man of God. I believe that Swaggert has accomplished much for the kingdom of God. Like all of us, Swaggert has experienced some failures and unlike many of us, his failures were made public knowledge.
Again, I affirm my respect for Swaggert and my acknowledgement of him as a man of God. Nevertheless, he is dead wrong on this issue and owes an apology to the Hagins and to all Word-Faith preachers for this worthless diatribe that he wrote and published in his magazine and later placed on the internet. Nonetheless, the readers can see that Swaggert's attack on Hagin and others is without Scriptural merit and his remarks about the Word-Faith doctrine being Satan's masterstroke.
I look forward to the day when these ridiculous attacks and with lies, half-truths, misrepresentations and insults being used as the primary weapons will cease. When the body of Christ can come together on one accord we will then be able to collectively defeat our common enemy, Satan. Until then, those like myself will continue to answers the false charges and misrepresentations by men such as Swaggert.
Notes
Marsh, F. E. 500 Bible Study Outlines (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), pp. 55, 56
See http://www.jsm.org/html/august02/e1e.htm I also find this quite contradicting as he refers to Kenneth Hagin as "brother" in the next paragraph and in other parts of his article.
Synan, Vinson The Holiness-Pentecostal Movement (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdman's Publishing Co., 1971), pp. 143, 144
Ibid.
Hagin, Kenneth E. The Triumphant Church (Tulsa, OK: Rhema Bible Church, 1993), p. 156
See my article, "Do Faith Teachers Give Low Value To The Blood of Jesus?" for more quotes by Hagin concerning his beliefs on the cross of Christ.
Simpson, Albert B. The Gospel of Healing (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1986,) pp. 29, 30
The Billy Graham article titled "Tell Everyone It Is True." Evans, W. Glyn (Editor) Christ is Victor (Valley Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1977), p. 23.
Ibid.
From Jimmy Swaggert's article, The Word-Faith Doctrine
The Jaimeson-Fausette-Brown Commentary says, "Christ's death is symbolized by the slain goat; His resurrection to life by the living goat sent away." Matthew Henry says, "Our High Priest entered into heaven once for all, and has obtained eternal redemption." Wesley's Explanatory Notes says, "The holy place - Heaven. For us - All that believe." John Gill's Exposition of the Bible says, "he entered not into the holy place made with hands, but into heaven itself; and that not every year, as the high priest, but "once" for all, having done his work."
Marsh, F. E. 500 Bible Study Outlines (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), p. 56
Graham, Tell Everyone It Is True
Torrey, R. A. What The Bible Teaches (Old Tappan, NJ: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1898-1993) p. 177
Marsh, F. E. 1,000 Bible Study Outlines (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications), p. 88
Epp, Theodore H. The All-Sufficient Christ: Studies in Colossians (Lincoln, NE: Back to the Bible, 1982) p. 100. Also, see Appendix B to see how other well known Bible commentators saw the relationship between Col. 2:15 and Eph. 4:8-11.
For a more detailed study of Ephesians 4:8 see Appendix B
Concerning verse 12 Vincent says, Through the faith of the operation of God. Not the faith which God works, but your faith in God's working: faith in God's energy as displayed in Christ's resurrection. Hence the emphasis which is laid on faith in the resurrection. See 1 Cor. xv. 3, 4 (note); Rom. x. 9; Eph. i. 19. vers. 11, 12 should be compared with Rom. vi. 2-6. (see Vincent, Marvin, Vincent's Word Studies (Online version available at http://www.godrules.net)
Gill, John John Gill's Exposition of the Bible (Paris, AR: The Baptist Standard Bearer)
Vincent, Word Studies
Pentecost, J. Dwight Your Adversary The Devil (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing Co., 1969), p. 153
Grant, F. W. Atonement (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), pp. 201, 202
W. Graham Scroggie, Christ in the Creed (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), p. 80
Gaebelin, Arno C. Conflict of the Ages (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), pp. 60, 61
MacArthur, John The Resurrection of Jesus Christ--Part 2, GC 2402 http://www.gty.org/Broadcast/transcripts/2402.htm
Simpson, The Gospel of Healing, pp. 29, 30
Sanders, Oswald J. Satan is no Myth (Chicago, Il: Moody Press, 1975), p. 116
Baxter, J. Sidlow article titled Death Abolished! Evans, W. Glyn (Editor) Christ is Victor (Vally Forge, PA: Judson Press, 1977), p. 22.
Witherby, H. Forbes The Gospel of our Salvation, (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), p. 138
Ritchie, John E. Our Glorious Lord (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), p. 42
Murray, Andrew The Power of the Blood (Fort Washington, PA: Christian Literature Crusade, 1984), pp. 127, 128.
Gordon, S. D. Quiet Talks on Prayer (This out of print classic has been provided for free by Peter Wade of Positive Word Ministries, Inc.) To be found at http://208.56.35.100/index.phtml
Grant, Atonement, p. 196
Morgan, G. Campbell The Crises of the Christ (Niagra Falls, NY: Shiloh Christian Library), pp. 260-261
Ibid., p. 261
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